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UCONN M AGAZINE
FALL 2020
Who Is
the Class
of 2024?
Ten first-years share
admissions essays that
reveal dreams undaunted
In This Issue:
HARROWING TALES OF ADVENTURE WHAT’S KEEPING US OUT OF
FROM A LONGTIME NATIONAL SELF-DRIVING CARS? HINT: IT HAS
GEOGRAPHIC CONTRIBUTOR NOTHING TO DO WITH TECHNOLOGY
FALL 2020
SNAP! They’re Back! With unflagging enthusiasm and fearless spirit, students returned to UConn campuses after five months of pandemic-dictated exile. About 5,800 students moved into residence halls at Storrs and Stamford, where they began to blithely juggle Covid-19 testing and quaran- tining along with their online and in-person classes. All told, this fall has 33,500 students enrolled as Huskies, including for the first time 500 who are taking UConn classes at two universities in China. UCONN MAGAZINE | MAGAZINE.UCONN.EDU FALL 2020
SNAP! Art Alfresco UConn Avery Point hosted Open Air by Night exhib- its this summer and fall, which drew film and video submissions from artists not just in Connecticut, but around the world — likely because so few art galleries and museums are presenting new exhibi- tions during the pandemic. “It’s one of those Covid silver linings exceeding our own ambitions and expectations,” says Charlotte Gray, curator of the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery at Avery Point. Shown are videos by Benthaus Studios projected onto the lighthouse. UCONN MAGAZINE | MAGAZINE.UCONN.EDU FALL 2020
CONTENTS | FALL 2020 FALL 2020 | CONTENTS
UConn Magazine FROM THE EDITOR
Who Is VOL. 21 NO. 3
the Class
UConn Magazine is produced three times
of 2024? a year (Spring, Summer, and Fall) by
University Communications, University
of Connecticut.
Editor Lisa Stiepock
Art Director Christa Yung
Photographer Peter Morenus
Contributing Photographer Sean Flynn
Student Worker Sarah Negron ’20 (CLAS)
Class Notes Grace Merritt
Copy Editor Gregory Lauzon
16 22 32 Web Designers Christine Ballestrini
’03 (SFA), Yesenia Carrero, Kathleen
(McIntyre) Cosma ’14 (SFA)
University Communications
Vice President for Communications
FEATURES SECTIONS Tysen Kendig
Scott Wallace interviewing explorer and indigenous-rights activist Sydney Possuelo while on
assignment for National Geographic in the depths of the Brazilian rainforest, 2002.
Associate Vice President for Creative
Strategy & Brand Management
Patricia Fazio ’90 (CLAS), ’92 MA INSPIRATION
16 WHO IS THE CLASS OF 2024? 1 I remember so clearly how much it meant to me to hear the stories my journalism
UConn’s Class of 2024 is already iconic for reasons its professors told of their lives on the job, how it motivated me to get out there and file
UCONN NOW
members would prefer to forget. But their admissions stories of my own. One such professor worked on the sports desk at the Milwaukee
Lighthouses and art, Email: uconnmagazine@uconn.edu.
essays — submitted shortly before “Covid” and Letters to the editor and other comments Sentinel. I have him to thank for my student job on the copy desk there, which felt
folk music and social
“pandemic” became part of our daily lexicon — are a are welcome. Send address changes to heady at the time, despite being mostly a matter of taking bowling scores over the
work, Blackademics and
reminder of dreams undaunted. Here are excerpts UConn Foundation Records Department, phone from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. (people in Milwaukee get really excited about bowling
Twitter, American Sign
from 10 of our favorites. Unit 3206, 2390 Alumni Drive, Storrs, CT scores).
Language, Confederate
06269
statues, and more. The students who have worked with us at this magazine describe similar motiva-
tion from UConn professors, among them Scott Wallace — whose writing, photogra-
phy, and videography on the environment, vanishing cultures, and places of conflict
22 FOR SCOTT WALLACE, REMOTE LEARNING 36 Cover Illustrations by Katie Carey
Snap! Sean Flynn, Peter Morenus
across the globe have appeared everywhere from CBS News, The Guardian, and The
MEANS GETTING OFF THE BEATEN PATH New York Times to Harper’s, Vanity Fair, and National Geographic.
UCONN NATION Table of Contents Katie Carey, Scott
The photographer and National Geographic contributor Camila Vallejo ’19 (CLAS), one of those students who used to work for us and
Alums talk doing good Wallace, Curt Merlo, Katie Carey
shares with us some of the hard-won wisdom he imparts who graduated to NPR, found Wallace an especially inspirational and effective jour-
with good coffee; the From the Editor Nicolas Reynard
to UConn’s lucky journalism students. By Lisa Stiepock nalism professor. “He focused less on giving you assignments just to fulfill a syllabus
battle against human
Photographs by Scott Wallace and more on improving your writing with every draft,” she says. “As a seasoned
trafficking; the power
of hands-on play; features writer and war correspondent, he highlighted the good as well as the raw
amplifying Black and truth behind being a reporter — the adrenaline, the trauma, and more.”
Brown voices; and It’s clear what Wallace brings to his students. In turn, he says, they remind him
32 IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT fending off heckling how much the profession of journalism matters.
What’s keeping us out of self-driving cars? Hint: The penguins. Plus Class
The University of Connecticut complies with all applicable federal
and state laws regarding non-discrimination, equal opportunity and “I see the enthusiasm with which they do their assignments and their work. The
questions they raise and the topics they decide to tackle are really surprising, really
affirmative action and does not discriminate on the basis of race,
answer has nothing to do with technology. By Eli Notes, Tom’s Trivia, color, national origin, disability, sex, age or other legally protected
characteristics in all programs and activities and supports all state
Freund ’14 (CLAS) and more. and federal laws that promote equal opportunity and prohibit dis- innovative. These students are not empty vessels that you’re trying to fill; they come
crimination, including the provision of reasonable accommodations
for persons with disabilities. To request an accommodation or for
questions related to the University’s non-discrimination policies,
with lots of ideas and enthusiasm.” Wallace also is a 2020–21 fellow at the UConn
please contact: Title IX Coordinator, Office of Institutional Equity;
241 Glenbrook Rd., Unit 4175; Storrs, CT 06269; Phone: (860) 486-
Humanities Institute and a faculty affiliate of El Instituto: UConn’s Institute of
2943; equity@uconn.edu (non-discrimination policies); ADA Case
Manager, Department of Human Resources; 9 Walters Ave., Unit Latina/o, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies.
Find out more starting on page 22.
5075; Storrs, CT 06269; Phone: (860) 486-3034; hr@uconn.edu
(accommodation requests).
4 UCONN MAGAZINE | MAGAZINE.UCONN.EDU FALL 2020 5
UCONN NOW UCONN NOW
LETTERS
The overwhelming number of letters we received last issue were on the topic of slavery repa-
rations and public policy professor Thomas Craemer’s “new math.” The issue is complex, and,
accordingly, so were the comments you sent. I share a few representative letters here, edited for
clarity and length, and you can find the rest on our website. We welcome all feedback; the dis-
course is vital.
Please email me at lisa.stiepock@uconn.edu or post on our website at magazine.uconn.edu.
The New Reparations Math Flashback movement: “This is our conclusion:
➼ Has anyone counted the cost of ➼ My husband is the UConn grad, but Our nation is moving toward two soci-
LBJ’s programs, made specifically to I am the faithful reader of your mag- eties, one black, one white — separate
rebalance Black life? Caucasians and azine. The summer issue did not fail and unequal.”
Asians denied a college entrance for me: “Flashback” brought tears to my Elizabeth Cooke, via our website
the place of another minority? About eyes. Howard Goldbaum wrote of the
360,000 Northern soldiers died for the coalition of antiwar and Black Power Light-Years Away
war that emancipated slaves. Repara- protests in 1969. I ask your readers to ➼ Thanks for bringing back such fond
tions were made for the sin of slavery. research the 1968 Kerner Commission memories of my days at UConn during
Why do some say it is not enough? on racial disorder and social division these trying times. #BleedBlue
Ernest Cote, via our website to see some of the roots of today’s BLM Pat Grondin, via our website
➼ Craemer points out that the pur-
pose of a reparations calculation is
to emphasize the magnitude of the
injustice, the unrecompensed labor of
generations of slaves who built the U.S.
economy, rather than demand cash
be repaid now. Despite many years at
elite educational institutions, I was
not taught basic facts about American
systemic racism, though I was vividly
educated when young about the Nazi
era by teachers who were survivors of
the camps. It’s crucial that we learn the
truth of our history, because it shapes
our present and future — the present
and future of all of us.
Deborah Marks, via our website
➼ Who will pay reparations, everyone
or just slaveowners? What value will
be given for those who fought in the
Civil War? Let’s heal ancient wounds KUDOS
ON CAMPUS
and move on as a nation.
Dwight Jones, via our website Hall of Fame field hockey coach Nancy Stevens, the winningest coach in NCAA field
GOLDEN EGGS hockey history, retired as head coach of the Huskies after 30 years. Stevens finishes
Kumar Venkitanarayanan wants to feed the world — with chickens raised without antibiotics. This poses challenges, explains ➼ As a Jesuit high school educator, her career with an all-time record of 700-189-24, and as the only coach in the history
the animal science professor and associate dean of CAHNR, in keeping birds healthy, production high, and waste generation low I feel that enlightening each student of the sport to reach the 700-win plateau. Under her guidance, the Huskies appeared
— for environmental reasons. “Poultry meat is projected to be a major source of protein for the increasing human population, (and American) with these numbers in 24 NCAA tournaments; reached 18 NCAA quarterfinals and 10 NCAA semifi-
which is projected to be 10 billion by 2050,” says Venkitanarayanan. “The broiler industry has been able to reach high levels of and historical facts that are, unfortu- nals; won 19 Big East tournament titles and 19 Big East regular season titles; and
production through selective breeding and by using antibiotics as growth promoters. We are not sure how phasing out antibiotic nately, left out of history books is vital produced 50 first team All-Americans. Stevens led the Huskies to a No. 1 national
growth promoters will affect the sustainability of the industry, especially to meet future demand for the increasing population.” to any form of healing. ranking five times (2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 1999) and won three national cham-
His chance for success increased quite a bit this August when the USDA awarded his project $10 million. Christopher A. White, via our website pionships (2017, 2014, and 2013). Find a Q&A with Stevens at s.uconn.edu/stevens.
6 UCONN MAGAZINE | MAGAZINE.UCONN.EDU Photo (left) Peter Morenus; (right) Stephen Slade ’89 (SFA) FALL 2020 5
7
UCONN NOW
CHECKING IN WITH
JUST FOLK
After completing her degree in policy first since becoming a full-time musi- to being mainstream popular in terms
at the School of Social Work, Lara cian, just before the Covid-19 pandemic of pop music. I guess we can answer
Herscovitch ’95 MSW traveled around hit and ended the tour she’d planned to that question if, and when, the cultural
the world for six years as an education promote the album. taste swings back to us. Someone told
specialist for Save the Children, carry- me that folk music represents some-
ing her guitar as a traveling companion Like all other performers, you’ve been thing like 1% of the music market in
around the U.S. and on several conti- sidelined because of the pandemic. America. It’s a beautiful field, and I
nents, singing and writing songs as she How is it going? Right now is a very really appreciate the ethic and values
had done since childhood. In 1998, a confusing time, but overall it’s great. I of American folk music.
friend invited her to perform with him am a musician at my core, and it took
in New York City. me a long time to get here. It’s been You describe “Highway Philosophers”
“Every single light bulb in my heart really rewarding to have more time as “an album of adventure, authen-
and soul went off,” she says, recalling to focus on it all. The pandemic has ticity, courage, and freedom.” Why?
that. “It wasn’t even a choice. I knew I helped me understand the importance This is an album of the hero’s journey
had to do this.” of music and art in general. When I was and all the different elements of it. I
Herscovitch spent nearly two working full-time in the public policy took my own leap of faith into full-time
decades leading a dual life. Weekdays, world, I felt like that was important music before I wrote it all, so that’s
she was a social worker evaluating a work. If I’m being honest, I felt like it reflected throughout it. I always hope
nonprofit program, writing a grant, or was more important than music. Now to inspire people to lean into their best
testifying before a legislative commit- I really see and feel how they’re both self in the same way that I’m trying to
tee. At night or on weekends she would important, just in very different ways. lean into my best self. This is the first
head to a recording studio, an open album, with no disrespect to any of the
mic night, or a scheduled performance Your music often addresses themes ones that came before it, that I just feel
while creating and releasing six albums of social justice and you volunteer so thoroughly proud of. This time if a
on her own LaRama Records label. time with connected organizations. It song felt good enough, I knew it wasn’t
To leave more time for music, she seems you continue to be involved in done, and I had more time to get it
reduced her full-time work from five social work, just in a different way. right. It took a long time to do, and it
days a week to four, moving from the I don’t think that’s ever going to was a painstaking process in the studio,
Greater Bridgeport Area Foundation to change. I am one of the protesters which also can be fun. I feel at peace. If
Connecticut Fund for the Environment showing up in support of Black Lives I get hit by the proverbial bus, I will feel
and Save the Sound, and then spending Matter. I think it’s important for all of content that I was able to release this
nine years with Connecticut Juvenile us to take this very late opportunity to album before I went.
Justice Alliance. evolve and to make this country health-
With each new recording of contem- ier, increase equity and justice. I’m Can you leave us with a fun “on the
porary folk music, she expanded her trying to show up and let my music also road” tale? I remember a gig very early
performances beyond Connecticut, be of service. Some of it’s always going in my career in Northampton, Massa-
receiving critical praise for both her to be personal. Some of it’s going to be chusetts — I was excited to break into
music and her stage presence. In 2009, aspirational and some of it is proba- that scene. When I got to the venue, I
she was named Connecticut’s State bly always going to be social justice discovered it was the bar connected to
Troubadour — an ambassador of music because I care about the world. a bowling alley. The whole place had
and song who promotes cultural litera- maybe five people in it, including me
cy — and gained national attention that Has it gotten better for independent and the bartender. Every time someone
year on American Public Media’s “A artists since you started in the biz? It’s would come through the door from
Prairie Home Companion,” appearing a work in progress. A lot of folk venues the bowling alley to the bar and back,
on its broadcast from the Palace The- are all volunteer, great community blaring rock music would come in too.
ater in Waterbury. builders. I’ve learned over time the way I’d be in the middle of some touching,
Three years ago, Herscovitch that music can bring an individual clos- finger-picky, lyric-rich ballad, inter-
realized her goal of pursuing music er to themselves and also bring individ- rupted all throughout by parts of Rick
full time. She completed “Highway Phi- uals together and a whole community James’ “Super Freak” — I had to laugh.
losophers,” her seventh recording and of people together. We’re not even close —KENNETH BEST
8 UCONN MAGAZINE | MAGAZINE.UCONN.EDU Photo by Joy Bush Photography FALL 2020 9
UCONN NOW
UCONN TALKS
On supporting the mental On nasal breathing to prevent chronic maladies: TRENDING
health of student-athletes:
“I think across
“Our bodies were designed to breathe through our noses … #BLACKINTHEIVORY:
Breathing through our mouths disrupts our body’s normal
the country, we function.”
A VIRAL RECKONING
have to come up How communications professor Shardé Davis’ tweets
Dr. Belachew Tessema, otolaryngology professor, Connecticut Magazine, Aug. 24, 2020
with proactive turned into a movement for Black people in academia.
approaches as
Imagine sitting on your couch on a Saturday night, watching Montoya to create town halls for faculty and staff of color.
well as reactive the country react to another murder of an unarmed Black Those spaces serve as opportunities for communities of color
On remaining empathic:
approaches. man. Your body is tense, your throat is dry as your eyes well up working at UConn to connect, relate, and support one another.
with tears and you begin to feel that familiar anger, sadness, The night she decided to share her experience as a Black woman
There’s just not helplessness. You turn to Twitter to share your feelings, book- in academia, she was hoping to foster a similar community,
enough therapists “My patients’ families did not thank me for using the ending your tweets with a hashtag you create, and head to bed. but virtually, during a time when many aren’t experiencing
most up-to-date treatments, but rather for standing in as When you wake up, you’ve gone viral. in-person connections due to the global pandemic.
in the world to “I was certainly outraged by the strangulation of George “As Blackademics, we’ve been, in some senses, bullied by the
solve the problem family for their loved ones during their dying moments. Floyd, but I was also outraged by the murders of our Black institution. Many of us have to place a muzzle over our mouths,
trans brothers and sisters and Black women like Breonna put our heads down, and work tirelessly if we want to get tenure
purely reactively.” Being a physician during these times is truly a privilege.” Taylor, who were also slain by law enforcement,” says assis- or enter the ranks of upper administration. For the most part,
UConn President Thomas
tant professor of communications Shardé Davis recalling that reaching those milestones requires that we ‘go along to get
Katsouleas, USA Today, night. “I was reeling and thinking, what can I do?” along,’” she explains. “We’ve never had a space or opportunity to
Aug. 26, 2020 Anil Magge, pulmonary critical care, UConn Health, The New York Times, May 2, 2020 Davis knew whatever she did needed to have impact and be seen or heard, especially on such a large, national platform.”
be personal to show that racism is an ever-present reality for On Twitter, the hashtag is filled with stories of professors
Black people in America. So she wrote about experiences she’d being mistaken for students and examples of white peers not
had with racism while in graduate school using #Blackin- believing stories of racism Black professionals experience on
On new CDC data regarding teen suicide: On whether America has theIvory, a play on words that encapsulates her race, her re- campus. “[The hashtag] has created a space for many white
turned a corner when it search, and her position in predominately white academia. She folks to say to themselves ‘Oh, that’s not a just UConn-specific
comes to systemic racism: texted her friend and fellow Blackademic Joy Melody Woods issue’ or ‘Oh, that’s not a Shardé-related problem,’” she says.
“Picture a typical high school classroom of 25 students. About for guidance. Woods liked the hashtag so much, she tweeted it “They are reading, quite literally, the exact same stories by
five of those students could be thinking about suicide.” immediately. Davis did the same. Within 24 hours, #Blackin- Blackademics from different age groups, institutions, regions,
“I think we see theIvory was trending nationwide on Twitter. fields, and even career points. It’s not a coincidence that these
Sandra Chafouleas, educational psychology professor, Psychology Today, Sept. 4, 2020 “What an emotional yet powerful day,” tweeted Davis that issues are happening over and over again across the United
a corner. I don’t Sunday. “I think I’ve read every single tweet. Thanks to every- States. Because that’s how systemic racism works. It eats its
know if we’ve one for sharing what it’s like to be #BlackintheIvory. We’ve way through social institutions and rears its ugly head in simi-
turned it.” opened the floodgates, so more may cont. to pour out as the days lar ways. It’s a creature of habit. There is no way to turn a blind
On shifting locations and definitions of “invasive species”: pass. Pls know that we will continue to hold space for you.” eye to it.”
One week later, a New York Times article said, “Sensing a Davis plans to keep the conversation going in a few ways.
rare, and perhaps fleeting, opportunity to be heard, many Black She and her colleagues at UConn are continuing conversations
“The goal in this crazy warming world is to keep everything
Doug Glanville, sports Americans are sharing painful stories on social media about that began in town halls and talking with leadership about
alive. But it may not be in the same place.” management/education racism and mistreatment in the workplace, accounts that some how the institution can be more inclusive. The Black Graduate
professor, Kiplinger, July said they were too scared to disclose before. They are using Support Project is reopening; it lists names and payment info
Mark Urban, biology professor, Smithsonian, Aug. 3, 2020 30, 2020 hashtags like BlackInTheIvory or WeSeeYouWAT, referring to for Black graduate students in need of financial support, and
bias in academia and ‘White American Theater.’” anyone can identify a person and send them money directly.
Although creating a viral hashtag has landed her a lot of Davis also plans to relaunch the website to highlight various
On the 70-year-old travel-demand model transportation planners still use: media attention and opened the door for conversations about resources that will equip Blackademics to get more institution-
racism at institutions across the country, Davis has always been al resources at their respective universities. Lastly, keep an eye
involved in equity, inclusion, and connecting work. In UConn’s out for #BlackintheIvory, the book. —BRITTANY KING
“It’s not so much about the measurement being wrong, it’s that the whole underlying College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Davis’ research centers
thesis is wrong.” around Black women and how they communicate and connect
Find out about the new course Davis co-teaches, U.S.
with one another. She worked with former faculty Daisy Reyes Anti-Black Racism, at s.uconn.edu/davis and keep up
Norman Garrick, engineering professor, Vice, Aug. 24, 2020 and current faculty David Embrick and Milagros Castillo- with her on Twitter or at blackintheivory.com.
10 UCONN MAGAZINE | MAGAZINE.UCONN.EDU Photo by Blake Warner/Vizion Photography FALL 2020 11
UCONN NOW
that he was an unapologetic defender of slavery and white 3 BOOKS
supremacy, even at the cost of wrecking the American
republic. Thanks to the movement for Black lives this year, YIMING QIAN
that monstrosity, which had been regularly defaced by the
local black population, was finally removed. Yiming Qian gave a talk at UConn’s School of Business in 2016 and says she found the campus
Most Civil War historians used to take a catholic posi- beautiful and felt an immediate rapport with colleagues who were “tremendously interested in
tion on the removal of Confederate statues. They asked research and extraordinarily friendly.” A few years later she joined the faculty as the first Toscano
for contextualization or other statues erected with them. Family Chair in Finance. Qian says she likes to read about people and stories related to her field
Not me. I always thought that Confederate statues were a because it puts a face to the things she is teaching in the classroom. And, she says, paraphrasing
travesty, erected as paeans to white supremacy after the William Styron, “You live several lives while reading.”
fall of Reconstruction at the turn of the 19th century, well
Just Finished: Currently Reading: On Deck:
after the Civil War. They not only commemorated men who
fought for slavery and committed treason against the Unit- “What It Takes: “The Optimistic “When Breath
ed States, but they also marked the triumph of Jim Crow Lessons in Child” by Martin E. Becomes Air” by
and a regime of racial terror in the postwar South. African the Pursuit of P. Seligman Paul Kalanithi
Americans have protested the erection of these statues from Excellence”
the start. by Stephen A. , An increasing Buddhists believe
The NAACP initiated a boycott of South Carolina for Schwarzman number of kids, and death is the great-
flying the Confederate battle flag. In 2015, it finally came increasingly young est of all teachers.
down after the massacre at the Charleston AME church. A A friend recom- kids, have depres- Most of us defer
year later, at the very first Draper workshop series, which mended this book sion. Psychologist that learning, but
I began at UConn, I argued strongly for the taking down of to me and I liked it. Schwarzman is Seligman explains how to teach kids to then some are forced to face death
FLASHPOINT
all Confederate statues to the consternation of some of my co-founder of Blackstone, the largest be optimistic, which helps “immunize” unexpectedly early.
colleagues. In 2017, the neo-Nazi march at Charlottesville private equity fund in the world. It them from depression. When faced Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with
that resulted in the murder of Heather Heyer brought the is inspiring the way he approaches with adversity, optimistic people react lung cancer just as he was about to fin-
An Indian American who is one of the world’s leading
controversy over Confederate statues into the spotlight challenges — always think big and aim differently than pessimistic people be- ish a six-year neurosurgery residency
experts on the Civil War and slavery in the U.S., history
once again. And suddenly the tide turned, with Confederate high. Whether organizing a student cause they interpret the reasons behind at Stanford University School of Medi-
professor Manisha Sinha has been one of the most sought
statues being taken down in New Orleans and Baltimore, activity, starting a new business, or the adversity differently. He argues that cine. In the hospital there, his identity
after voices in the recurring and recent debate over remov-
among other places. being a philanthropist, he reasons it empty praises do not work and cause changed from authoritative doctor to
ing Confederate statues. She told us why she believes we
But it has been only recently that protestors and city is as hard to try something small as parents to lose credibility. Instead we terminally ill patient, from “a subject
should take them down.
councils have started dismantling these monuments to hate it is to try something big, so why not can help children build self-esteem by that takes action” to “an object to be
As a Civil War historian, it seems that I have been fighting all over the country, including Richmond’s Monument Ave- try something big? When starting helping them do well. He offers advice acted upon.”
against the myth of the Lost Cause throughout my career. nue Confederate statues, after the murder of George Floyd. Blackstone, his partner suggested they and strategies to cultivate optimistic He had achieved a lot, but his great-
The notion that the Confederates fought for states’ rights I would love to see the Confederate frieze that desecrated raise a fund of $50 million since neither thinking. For example, when criticizing est potential was yet to be fulfilled. He
and honor rather than for slavery and that the Confeder- Stone Mountain in Georgia and serves as a gathering space of them had done any private equity my kids, I should criticize their actions had married but was yet to start a fam-
acy lost the war merely because of the superior numbers for the Ku Klux Klan and white supremacists removed. deals before. Schwarzman convinced but not their characters, be specific, and ily. He had planned out 40 years of his
of the Union is ubiquitous, especially in the South. Histo- In fact, this frieze was completed and many Confederate him they should aim for $1 billion. They suggest improvements. career: the first 20 years as a neurosur-
rians have long contested these entrenched falsehoods by statues and flags were put up in the South as symbols of raised $800 million. It is admirable to For instance, instead of “You are geon and neuroscientist, the next 20 as
pointing out that the southern states that seceded from the “massive resistance” to the civil rights movement in the think big, but you’ve got to have the so lazy; you never clean your room,” I a writer. But alas, impermanence is the
Union in 1860–61 mentioned the perpetuation of slavery 20th century. stomach for it. Schwarzman offers the should say, “You haven’t cleaned your only unchanging thing.
specifically in their Ordinances of Secession. The Confed- As a historian, I have never thought that taking down following warning: “If you are going to room in the last seven days; why don’t Reading this brave man’s account of
eracy fought, as Union General Ulysses S. Grant put it, for statues is erasing history. Statues are not history; they are pursue difficult goals, you’re inevitably you fix that today?” After all, kids are his journey facing death promises to be
one of the worst causes in human history. I am against the the crudest ways of doing public history. Our tax dollars going to fall short sometimes. It’s one taking cues and they can learn opti- inspiring.
indiscriminate taking down of all statues, including those maintain these statues, and we should certainly not honor of the costs of ambition.” mism from us.
of slaveholding Founding Fathers. But Confederate statues men who committed treason in the name of human bondage
deserve to be taken down. or those who upheld white supremacy. Again, this does not
In 1991, I spent a year in South Carolina researching my mean we should remove all statues such as those of slave-
MAKING GOOD
first book on the politics of slavery and secession in that holding Founding Fathers. These can be easily contextual-
state. It bothered me that the Confederate flag flew on state ized; we don’t need to whitewash their histories but present
grounds in Columbia and I wrote a letter to the campus them in all their complexity. In fact, it has been opponents CHILD’S PLAY
newspaper of the University of South Carolina criticizing of taking down Confederate statues who have argued that Students in UConn’s renowned Puppet Arts program have been hosting twice-weekly Facebook Live
that. I got a lot of blowback for that letter. In Charleston the this would lead us down a slippery slope where all statues workshops for parents in desperate need of new ways to entertain and inspire quarantined kids. “We’re
statue of the proslavery theorist and Southern nationalist, would be taken down. It is important to differentiate be- trying to keep those material resource needs open and flexible,” says MFA student Felicia Cooper. “It’s
John C. Calhoun, on an 80-foot pedestal, offended me too. tween Confederate statues that have no redeeming qualities important we’re not asking people to go out and buy things or invest necessarily in craft supplies; just be
I had read every word that Calhoun had written and knew to them and others of flawed men who did. —MANISHA SINHA creative with what they have at home.” Find more at s.uconn.edu/workshops.
Illustration (left) ©2020 Pete Ryan c/o theispot.com; (right) Kyle Hilton;
12 UCONN MAGAZINE | MAGAZINE.UCONN.EDU Photo (right) UConn Puppetry FALL 2020 13
UCONN NOW
COVETED CLASS
Simons taught UConn’s first ASL they are trying to say because it’s not
course in 1986, when very few Ameri- on their body,” she says.
can universities offered classes in the
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE language. She eventually finished her
master’s in deaf rehabilitation and a
Teaching Style:
When asked to describe herself as a
THIS JUST IN
Doreen Simons has one rule: No talking. Ever. certificate in deaf education at New teacher, Simons says, “Pushy.” She has
EVEN IN A PANDEMIC, IT’S ALL ABOUT
York University but kept teaching at her students stand up when they sign.
UConn as demand for the courses grew, She stops them when they whisper THE MONEY
joining the faculty full time in 2002. to each other. She points out when a
Now there are nine sections of the signing student is not using their facial The anxiety and depression we are seeing — and feeling — around
Intro to ASL course each fall, which expressions, which she equates to a the Covid-19 pandemic is linked more to the job losses and econom-
readily fill up, as well as a long list of speaking person using a monotone ic challenges the pandemic has caused than to concerns about the
other courses, including classes on deaf voice. She pushes the students, she virus itself. “The impact the virus and the pandemic are having on
artists, deaf women’s studies, and ASL says, because it is the only way they will the economy and employment is, not surprisingly, taking a big toll,”
literature, which Simons also teaches. ever learn the language. says Natalie J. Shook, a social psychologist, associate professor, and
Moreover, as of this fall students can “Students get frustrated, and I’ll ask principal investigator for a National Science Foundation–funded
earn a bachelor’s degree in ASL Studies how often they practice. If it’s an hour behavioral health study underway at the UConn School of Nursing.
at UConn, making it just one of a half or two a week that’s just kind of a joke, “Above and beyond concern about the virus, financial concerns
dozen or so schools in the country to honestly. You have to work at those and job insecurity are significantly associated with anxiety and de-
offer that — and the only one in Con- skills.” pression.”
necticut. She also describes herself as blunt, The yearlong study is tracking the well-being, feelings, and behav-
which she says is typical of deaf culture. ioral practices of about 1,000 individuals across the United States,
The Class: When hearing people might equivo- and more than 18 surveys of the participants have already been con-
Simons uses a full-immersion ap- cate, deaf people get straight to the ducted since the study kicked off in March.
proach in Intro to ASL class, starting point, she says. If you’ve gained weight
from the very first day when she or gone bald, a deaf person is likely to Concern and Risk Don’t Prompt Prevention
invokes her one rule — no talking, ever. say so, she explains. That is part of deaf In other unsurprising preliminary results, the study indicates that
The class is taught in silence. Students culture, which she also teaches about those of us who are most squeamish about germs and sickness are
can only communicate by signing. in the class, so students understand most likely to engage in preventive health behaviors, like frequent
“They have to turn their voices off,” better the world the language comes handwashing and disinfecting the living environment, during the
she says. “Sometimes I see them trying from. ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
to mouth certain words. That’s them What is surprising and problematic, Shook says, is that the people
holding on to the English, and they Why We Want to Take It Ourselves: most likely to be impacted by the virus are not necessarily those most
need to focus on ASL.” ASL is now the third most studied likely to be engaging in preventive behaviors.
ASL is truly a foreign language for language in the U.S., behind Spanish “Older participants reported more concern about Covid, which
The Instructor: hearing child would acquire English. English speakers. It has its own gram- and French, says a 2016 study by the makes sense — they’re at higher risk,” she says. “But when we looked
Despite her decades in the classroom, This was also before ASL had become mar and syntax, which is completely Modern Language Association. Its pop- at preventative health behaviors, we weren’t necessarily seeing that
Doreen Simons never planned to be the predominant language of American different from English. Some signs do ularity speaks to the long list of reasons older adults were engaging more in preventive health behaviors. So
a teacher. She wanted to be a social deaf people. not even translate into English, says anyone might study it. Some students where there was the concern, that wasn’t necessarily translating into
worker, so studied sociology at Gaul- Simons gave teaching a try and liked Simons. That is why students need to plan to use it professionally in fields the behaviors that could protect them.”
ladet University in Washington, D.C., a it well enough that she taught on the approach it like any other language such as interpreting, education, social Shook and her team of researchers hope that their findings on how
private university for the education of side while pursuing degrees in deaf they are learning. work, and speech pathology. Simons behavior and social attitudes change,
deaf and hard-of-hearing people. But education and deaf rehabilitation. That They also have to let go of listening, finds that students often have a family and what factors influence those
while she was a student there a profes- brought her to UConn, where Board she says. ASL is a visual language that member or friend who is deaf. To com- “Financial concerns changes when people are faced with the
sor noticed how well she used Amer- of Trustees Distinguished Professor of they have to watch. Simons also teach- municate well with our deaf commu- and job insecurity are threat of widespread disease, will help
ican Sign Language (ASL) and asked Linguistics Diane Lillo-Martin, who re- es them to use their facial expressions nity members we need to learn a new to develop new strategies and interven-
significantly associ-
her if she would teach it to hearing searches how ASL is acquired, recruit- and body language, which are key language, a challenging thing for an tions for public health responses that
ated with anxiety and could limit disease spread in future
students at an area high school. ed her for a study. Simons was shocked elements of ASL. Without them, the adult. We need a teacher who’s pushy
Simons was, at the time, relatively to learn that, despite the research language loses much of its meaning, and blunt to help us get it done and get
depression.” pandemics. —JACLYN SEVERANCE
unusual — a native speaker of ASL. into ASL, there were no classes in the she says. Even how your hand is orient- it done right. —AMY SUTHERLAND
Unlike most deaf children, 90% of language at UConn. ed, whether your palm faces someone Find more on this study and other similar research at
whom are born to hearing parents, “If you are going to have graduate or not, can change the meaning of a s.uconn.edu/shook.
Simons was born deaf to deaf parents, students researching it then they sign, she says.
both of whom signed. So she learned should know it,” she says. “I volun- “Some people will have the signs on
the language from infancy just as a teered to start teaching.” their hands but it doesn’t match what
14 UCONN MAGAZINE | MAGAZINE.UCONN.EDU Photo by Peter Morenus FALL 2020 15
on fire A burning flame stands alone in an ocean of brown and blonde locks.
Growing up, I hoped the flame would dim, stand out less in the crowd.
Go unnoticed. However, over the years it has burned brighter, both in-
Who Is
side and out. My story is not all that original, but still heartfelt. I have
always been taunted for my bright red hair. You name it, I’ve been
called it, from Carrot Top, Red, Ginger, Leprechaun, even Lucy. I hat-
ed all the myths and stereotypes that others associated with my hair
color — from being a hothead, flighty, clownish, even soulless. Did you
know that in the Middle Ages redheads were assumed to be witches
the Class
and often put to death! Why could something like hair color generate
such fear and attention? Adults told me how lucky I was to have such
beautiful red hair while my peers taunted me endlessly. As you can
imagine, this was pretty confusing as a kid and would shake any mid-
dle schooler’s confidence. I didn’t want to stand out, I just desperately
wanted to blend in. Eventually, I even considered changing my hair
of 2024?
color in hopes that the teasing would stop. The more my confidence
diminished, the more I dreamed of becoming a brunette. In her senior
year, my older sister, also a redhead, dyed her hair black. Like me,
she probably just had enough. I imagine she must have wondered
what life would be like without the stigma of being a ginger. But she
didn’t seem any happier with jet black hair. I realized that changing hair color wasn’t
the solution to insecurity. As I watched my sister get numerous re-dyes to return her
hair to its natural color, I began to rethink why I let this one thing have so much power
over me. Red hair isn’t who I am or what I care about, or value. Why was this such a big
deal? It’s only hair. In the worst case I could cut it off and it would grow back. Why was
I letting this mop on my head shape who I was, feel insecure, and make me wish I were
invisible? Fortunately my sister’s experience helped me figure out that hair color was
just one of many of my unique characteristics, like being funny, left-handed, or having
blue eyes. The color of my hair didn’t mean I was ditzy like Lucy in “I Love Lucy”
“Bring (what teenager has ever watched that show anyway?). As a matter of fact, I am one of
the smartest kids in my class. I’m the opposite of scatterbrained. Math and science
come naturally to me. I’m a very methodical thinker. I wouldn’t have been elected to
UConn’s Class of 2024 is like no other. There’s a lot they didn’t get to do it on! I’m class office if I was a hothead or disorganized. Animals at the rescue shelter wouldn’t
(proms, graduations, first-year welcome parties), but let’s take a look at who they are as a bond with me if I were cold or soulless. With this new self-awareness I decided to face
group and what, as individuals, they’ve already done and — undaunted — still plan to do. stronger high school with a new attitude. Walking the halls, hearing the same old redhead jokes,
This group of 5,750 first-years is more diverse than former classes — 44.7% are nonwhite; I tossed my hair proudly and walked a little taller. Bring it on! I’m stronger because of
about 18% have Hispanic/Latinx backgrounds, and about 7.5% are Black. They are highly because my mane. I embraced who I am and am comfortable in my own skin. The journey of ac-
cepting my appearance has taught me to resist conformity as well as to celebrate other
accomplished in terms of high school ranking — more than half graduated in the top 10% of
their high school classes. And circumstances have forced them to be more flexible and resil-
of my people’s differences. I now love my red hair and would never think about changing
who I am. My flame now burns bright enough to light a whole room full of matches just
ient than classes before them — rolling with every change and pandemic possibility thrown
at them and then showing up in Storrs, Stamford, Hartford, Avery Point, and Waterbury
mane.” waiting to burn.
ready for anything. —Samantha Ceravolo, Syracuse, New York, biological sciences major
Most of all, they seem overwhelmingly grateful to be here, on actual campuses and virtu-
al campuses among friends and friends-to-be — even if the experience looks a bit different
than what they pictured a year ago.
Like so many first-years before them, they wrote their admissions essays and imagined
those first weeks in college. They pictured crowded classrooms, parties, and games, dorm everyone needs saving
rooms with roommates, and gift boxes filled with Husky-emblazoned mugs and tees — but
certainly not face masks. And while this class is already iconic for reasons they’d rather were I’m 17 years old and I have moved 17 different times. Along the way, I have
learned that everyone has a story and everyone needs saving no matter what
not a part of the picture, their essays — submitted shortly before “Covid” and “pandemic”
background or where they come from. I have learned how to respect people,
became part of our daily lexicon — are a reminder of that recent social-embracing past and take responsibility for my actions, and to maintain a decent lifestyle in order to
also the not-too-distant future, a future full of those heady college daydreams and all that raise a family. I learned that no matter what, I will be faced with various cultures
ambitious career planning coming true. Here are excerpts from just a few of our favorites. and diversity that has allowed me to see without color. I have learned to respect
every race, no matter how different, and use that in my daily life. My future is
bright.
Illustrations by Katie Carey —Horacio Honoret, Hackensack, New Jersey, physiology and neurobiology major
16 UCONN MAGAZINE | MAGAZINE.UCONN.EDU FALL 2020 17how I learned what
a congressman was
judgment is a
(or: why I want to be learned behavior
an astrophysicist)
For two years I have worked for my town recreation
center through their childcare programs. For two years I
At 4 years old, I firmly believed that
have chased laughing children, listened to their elaborate
aliens had been to Earth. I have
stories, and helped them create new friendships. This past
profound memories of sitting in my screaming, “Oh my god, the aliens
summer, I was asked to work specifically with Jack, whose
mom’s 2005 blue Chrysler Town & are taking over!” my sister cried.
disability prevented him from the simplest of actions, such us at a young age; it is not a genetic trait. Since I began to
Country. The plush gray seats were “WAAAAAAAA!” I concurred. My
as placing a goldfish cracker in his mouth or standing up work with Jack, I have found myself being less judgmental
juxtaposed by the dried-up lollipops mother, visibly confused, reassured
to use the bathroom. While I pride myself on my maturity of those around me. I am less afraid to be curious and ask
on the carpeted floor. The seat belts, us that this was not a UFO, but it was,
and acceptance of others, I could learn a few things from questions, even if those questions aren’t easy to address.
and their frayed ends, kept me and my in fact, a campaign tactic by a local
the children I work with. From Jack I’ve learned to be more Adults often stray away from difficult topics because they
booster seat from sliding around the
car (or flying out of it in the event of
congressman. Me, not knowing what
a congressman was, became more surviving vocal, to ignore other people’s opinions. He is never slowed
down by his disability. Perhaps it’s simply the naiveness of
are afraid of confrontation or uncomfortable conversations.
We should take notes from the children around us and learn
an accident). In terms of additional terrified. My arms had begun to flail.
childhood, but he is unfazed by the opinions of others. From to embrace our curiosity.
luxuries, we were blessed with the I could not ignore the fact that alien It was a chilly, sunny Oc-
Jack’s peers, I’ve learned not to make assumptions. It is
latest and greatest of technologies: an invasion was imminent. Minutes went tober morning, and I was
human nature to judge others, but that trait is less prom- —Sydney Fournier, South Windsor, Connecticut, digital
FM radio, which allowed for 6 presets by. My arms? Still flailing. My eyes? volunteering at the Breast
inent with children. The judgment of others is instilled in media and design major
and a 6-CD switcher. Quite often, the Still sweating. Me? Still petrified. My Cancer Walk in my com-
radio would be tuned to a classic rock sister? The same. Even though I re- munity. As the momentum
station. It was the only genre allowed. member the sheer terror I felt at this of people started to grow,
Interestingly enough, the speakers in moment, I wish I could recapture my the cold that was biting
the third row (or as I liked to call it, childhood ability to imagine. Imagina- my fingertips started to
the “way-back”) of the minivan were tion, as indistinct as it may make one’s dwindle, and I was warmed
better than those of the second. And adulthood seem, is an essential part by the enthusiasm from more near-death experiences
when my parents would think they of growing up and setting us apart.
were punishing me to sit in the third It’s quite easy to forget when we get
people who I had never
seen before. "Survivor" is
than a mountain climber
row, I was living life to its fullest. In so caught up in the hustle of everyday what was written on most
a strange turn of events one night, life. But I want to take a step back. of their shirts. Witnessing I was born with a severe allergy to milk and dairy. It was
my parents banished both me and my I want to imagine what life outside such an incredible sight, discovered after I drank baby formula and went into
older sister to the third row. This ag- of our everyday is like. I desperately watching these dazzling anaphylactic shock. My parents rushed me to the hospital,
gravated me, because now I could no want to learn more about not only people celebrate their where they received the diagnosis. It consumed my life.
longer spread my feet across the pala- the world around me but everything lives, made me come to a Double- and triple-checking ingredient labels. Refusing
tial bench that was the way-back. On that surrounds it. In my opinion, our realization. Being a survi- birthday cake, explaining exactly what would happen if
the radio, a classic. None other than ability to imagine is driven by our vor is not just about the I did eat it. Seeing the shock on people’s faces as they
“Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppe- desire to know more about everything. story you have to tell, but wonder how on earth a Boston cream donut could have
lin. The intricate serenade of the song And according to a Google search and it is also about the person such a fatal effect. Then hearing people’s expressions of
was accompanied by the concerned space.com, we only know about 4% of you have become because sympathy. How they cannot imagine going through each
voice of my mother. “Dear god, what the universe. The other 96%? That’s of it. Now I am capable of day having to constantly be alert for the risk of death by
is that?” she questioned, barreling up to your imagination. Or astrophys- embracing the struggle cookies, crackers, or candy. There are certainly draw-
down I-95 at 70 mph, looking in the icists. of my own mental battles backs to living with an allergy, however, it is not all bad.
rearview mirror. Simultaneously, my and preparing myself to One small enjoyment is revealing that I have had more
sister and I whipped our heads to view —Joshua Ellenberg, Flemington, New surmount them. If these near-death experiences than the most adventurous of
the mysterious object. The object Jersey, exploratory major beautiful people could mountain climbers. On a more serious note, living with
undulated across the night sky while survive and whistle to the
“Seeing the shock on people’s an allergy has taught me how to be prepared and how to
displaying an unreadable message beat of a morning tune, so handle myself in stressful situations. When I experience an
along its bottom. As 4- and 6-year- “...we only know can I. faces as they wonder how on allergy attack, the most common response from the peo-
olds do, my sister and I start crying, ple around me is panic, while mine is one of calm. I resolve
firmly believing that this object was about 4% of —Analise Sanchez,
earth a Boston cream donut the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible in order
a flying saucer. Naturally, we begin the universe. Monroe, New York, could have such a fatal effect.” to prevent my untimely demise.
mathematics major
The other 96%? —Dennis Dowding, Ridgefield, Connecticut, design tech
That’s up to your and theater major
imagination. Or
astrophysicists.”
18 UCONN MAGAZINE | MAGAZINE.UCONN.EDU FALL 2020 19inclusion = success
the future
is now
In school, I often encountered various humbles and realigns my priorities.
racial slurs, but these experiences made Through them, I learned that there is
me an advocate for inclusion and ac- always something to be learned from
ceptance. When my classmates are left those who are completely different
As I swerve down bustling sidewalks and navigate barely distinguishable trails
out during gym classes, I invite them from me in every aspect of race,
through the woods, I am left out in the world with nothing but my own thoughts to
to join my team. The beauty of leader- ethnicity, and religion. Diversity is an
distract myself from the aching in my legs that doubles in intensity every time my
ship does not only rest on promoting essential component of success, and
foot strikes the ground. But what does one think about when given an hour of open
and embracing diversity, but also on encompassing the this is especially true in the United
road and near complete freedom of the mind? As my brain searches for any inter-
ability to respect others through inclusion and creation of States that boasts multicultural-
esting series of electrical signals that will help me pass the time, I begin to wonder,
a positive climate. In my orthodox Jewish neighborhood, I ism and diversity of background,
"What is time anyway?" Time is the fundamental element in the sport of running and
saw myself reflecting on my own religious journey as I saw thoughts, and ideas.
absolutely crucial in our daily lives, yet it is something so few of us really understand.
my neighbors walk to temples and dedicate the Sabbath
Relativistic time describes a fourth dimension of the universe, but one through which
to rest and worship. Although I consider myself a devout —Eric Hwang, Lawrence, New York,
we are unwillingly pulled. The past, present, and future exist simultaneously, although
Christian, the Jewish community’s extreme dedication political science major
we can only observe one. They exist just as the people in the next room exist when
to their faith and obedience to religious observances
we cannot see them. All the numbers that will impact aspects of my life — from when
I can vote or drive a car to whether or not colleges will recruit me for cross country
to when I can leave Spanish class and go to physics — are no more than artificial
constructs our brains have created to help us perceive the universe. And according
to my brain, I am only five minutes into my hour-long run. When I run, I travel through
all four dimensions of space, and that unfortunately includes the vertical one. The
sports saved the burning in my quads as I struggle my way up a seemingly endless hill brings me to
question how this hill came to be. What movements of tectonic plates, vast glaciers,
my life choice powers of erosion, or determination of man have joined forces to create this evil thing
that now causes me so much pain? I comfort myself with the knowledge that, as I
slowly rip apart the actin and myosin fibers in my muscles, I am actually benefiting
I am not being dramatic when I say sports has More than 18 years ago, a myself. To make myself keep going I must remind myself that, as I sit at home later,
saved my life and is a part of my family. It’s my young man made a deci- binge watching “The Big Bang Theory,” the satellite cells in my muscles will not only
third parent, reminding me to go to bed on time, sion that ultimately made repair the muscles but make them stronger than they were before. But if Einstein
to be well rested for game day, nagging me to eat my existence possible. To was correct, even before I begin my ascent, I have already finished the run. And in a
the proper food to fuel my body for the physical him, the decision to donate his sperm may have seemed like different time that also exists right now, the hill does not even exist yet. Looking for
demands, encouraging me to set a good example an insignificant event in his life, but without it I would not a less confusing way to distract myself, I listen to the songs of a bird and marvel at
for the younger girls looking up to me. It’s my be here today. I wonder if I look like him or if we have simi- the millions of years of evolution that have finely tuned the complex DNA sequences
third sibling, annoying me when all I want to do is lar personalities. I will never know unless I choose to meet giving the bird its ability to sing so beautifully. I run by the World War II Veterans
sleep, cheering me on when I have a great game, him. At age 18, I will have that choice. Memorial and think of what could have been done to avoid such atrocities. I think
arguing with me when I have a bad one. It’s the I do not believe that blood creates a family — love does. of history’s impact on us all and wonder how the world would change had different
best friend I look forward to seeing every day at I have received unconditional love from my moms, and I decisions been made throughout history. I wonder how my life would be different or
school, depending on it to always have my back. credit them with the caring, determined, and hardwork- whether I would even be here at all had any part of history gone differently. Eventu-
It’s my boyfriend, making me ing person I have become. My parents have taught me to ally my watch beeps to alert me I have run eight miles, and I realize I am only a block
nervous when the stakes be strong and always stand up for what I believe in. I have away from home. I have always been fascinated by the intricate workings of the world
are high, planning my future grown up with the influence of two amazing women, and I around me. As I climb the four steps up to my front door, I try to be observant and
with it, wanting to impress it. do not feel as if I am missing a part of my family. I feel more learn about how those stairs were assembled. Then I go inside and check the weather
connected to my moms than I ever will to my donor. He has forecast to see when I will get to run again tomorrow
—Taylor Pannell, not been present for any of my accomplishments and he has and escape back into my thoughts. I want to contin-
Middletown, New not been there to comfort me in times of need. My donor ue learning in the hopes that one day, just maybe,
York, animal helped give me life, but he did not shape me into the person “The past, present, I will learn something that no one has before. That
science major I am today. With that being said, I have decided not to meet
him, because he will forever feel like a stranger and not a
and future exist future depends on the decision you make. But if the
future already exists, can it still be changed?
part of my family. simultaneously,
—Cody Ottinger, Hopkinton, Massachusetts,
—Erin Carney, Hudson, New Hampshire, political science although we can engineering major
major only observe one.”
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